HOW HARD IS THE NFL CAP? 18 NFL TEAMS ARE OVER THE LIMIT

In this morning's WASHINGTON POST, David Aldridge writes
that 18 of the league's 28 teams are spending more than the
$34.608M limit on player salaries. All 18 teams are technically
under the cap, but the teams' total expenditures include monies
such as signing bonuses paid to players this season. For cap
purposes, however, signing bonuses are prorated over the length
of a player's contract, even if the team has already given the
player his signing bonus in total. In addition, some incentives
count against next year's cap. According to these figures, the
NFL cap is not the "hard" cap that it has been called, but is
instead a "much softer cap." NFLPA Exec Dir Gene Upshaw: "The
cap is adjustable. ... Quit talking about 34 point 6 [million];
this is what they're spending. We all know what the cap is."
The following are NFL payrolls, according to figures obtained by
the POST (WASHINGTON POST, 9/22):
TEAM IN MILLIONS TEAM IN MILLIONS
Redskins $42.597 Browns $34.859
Cardinals $42.492 49ers $34.630
Seahawks $40.562 Eagles $34.630
Patriots $39.811 Bills $34.613
Colts $38.955 Giants $34.325
Lions $38.415 Bears $34.150
Chargers $38.332 Vikings $33.928
Oilers $38.255 Rams $33.571
Saints $38.248 Bucs $32.132
Chiefs $37.822 Bengals $31.855
Raiders $37.741 Cowboys $31.344
Falcons $36.330 Dolphins $31.276
Jets $35.658 Broncos $31.196
Packers $35.226 Steelers $30.888
SALARY CAP CASE STUDY: One element of Deion Sanders'
contract with the 49ers includes a $5M option year in 1995. But
49ers President Carmen Policy explained that the $5M option was
put in to make Sanders an unrestricted free agent. The contract
calls for a payment to Sanders of $3M on February 18, 1995. If
the 49ers decline payment, then Deion will become a unrestricted
and unconditional free agent. Policy said that a payment of $3M
to Sanders would be an "impossibility" and said called the deal a
"one-year adventure" (Clark Judge, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 9/22).
CLARIFICAITION: Tuesday's story in THE SPORTS BUSINESS
DAILY on the NBA salary cap should have stated that a judge
allowed the NBA to void Horace Grant's contract by refusing to
issue a summary judgment in the case. The judge did not rule
that the contract violated the salary cap.